Soapbox …

The following post has been making the rounds on Facebook … couldn’t have said it better myself. And, yes, I own three dogs from responsible breeders. Dogs who have the qualities and characteristics that make an Apso “an Apso” … something that can’t be said about the dogs coming from the mills or backyard breeders. And, yes, I know this first hand from my work in rescue, taking in dogs that were produced in the mills and backyards. There really is a difference …

A big thanks to dog lover (and Facebook friend) Michelle Gonsalves, for this well worded commentary on “purebred dogs creating shelter dogs”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Over the years there’s been a growing number of uninformed voices rallying against the wonderful LOVING world of dog shows and ANY form of dog breeding. We thank Michelle, and any other people brave enough to speak up on the subject!

I am NOT ashamed to be the owner of two responsibly bred dogs. Neither of my dogs killed a shelter dog. Neither of my dogs took a shelter dog’s home. Neither of them added to pet overpopulation. If I didn’t have them, I just would not have a dog.

Do you know what kills shelter dogs? Irresponsible owners kill shelter dogs. They kill them when they don’t do their research and add the wrong dog to the wrong household, then ditch it to die at a shelter when they can’t or don’t care to properly care for it.

Let’s not forget that in many breeds, it was responsible breeders who started their breed’s national rescue club. Not to save their own dogs (which don’t need saving), but to save the dogs that they never bred. To save the ones that don’t have safety nets. Responsible breeders did that. They did that in IGs [Italian Greyhounds]. I was interviewed more intensely to buy my two responsibly bred dogs than I ever interviewed a rescue candidate. I had supervised visitation … multiple times. I don’t even own them outright, they are on co-ownership, so that if anything ever happens to me they will go back to their breeder (yes, even the neutered one).

How do I know this will come to pass> I’ve seen her do it with another of her dogs when the owner died unexpectedly. And I saw her do it with my own dog when I nearly died myself. No questions asked, she opened her home to him for as long as I needed her to … potentially forever, if it came to that. Because that’s what responsible breeders do. And trust me, I researched until I found a responsible breeder.

Added to that, I am PROUD of the responsible breeders in this country who work SO hard to preserve our wonderful breed. Without them, the IG would be an unsound, neurotic, unhealthy creature. Not the elegant, sweet, healthy blessing that I love so much. Without responsible breeders, we’d never have gotten the amazing genetic health tests for enamel hypoplasia, the vonWildebrand’s test, the CDA test or the PRA test that are on their way. Without breeders, the domestic dog would CEASE TO BE! I do not ever want to live in a world without dogs. What a terrible place that would be, yet so many professed animal lovers are campaigning through shaming to create just such a world. Because that’s what it means when you say things like “adopt don’t shop,” “don’t breed while shelter dogs die,” and “people who buy dogs from breeders should be ashamed of themselves.”

What do you think will happen if we sterilize all dogs? What do you think will happen if all breeders stop breeding? You’d very quickly lose the rare breeds and the giant breeds FOREVER. Wait a bit more and you’d lose important genetic diversity, causing untold suffering for dogs that have to come from increasingly small gene pools. And then, the dog — man’s best friend — would become extinct. Gone the way of the Dodo. Gone forever. So shame on YOU! Shame on you for hating dogs!

I am not ashamed of my dogs. I am not ashamed of their breeder, who is an amazing person who has given so much of herself for this and other breeds. I am not ashamed of my extended family all around the world in the sport of dogs. And I am not ashamed of myself for daring to want a responsibly bred dog that fits my lifestyle.

Blaming me for the death of shelter dogs is like blaming a parent for the death of orphans in Uganda because she chose to have a baby through pregnancy, rather than adopt one. I have never surrendered an animal in my life. I have never caused the death of a dog in all my life. So why don’t you focus your ire on the people who did — the people who dumped those dogs at the shelter. They are the ones who left those dogs to die. Not me. Stop bashing your allies. Stop the shaming. We ALL need to work together for the good of dogs. Because there are scary people out there who want your dog gone. Who want your cat gone. Who want the horse out of your paddock, the guide dog out of his harness, the chicken out of the coop and the cow out of the dairy. Keep shilling their slick propaganda and shaming your fellow animal lovers and you help Animal Rights militants erase your dog from your very own home.

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5 Replies to “Soapbox …”

I agree with you .. I had a rescue Lhasa .Teddy ..My best friend for 5 years when he died it broke my heart ,the night he passed I typed Lhasa Apso on the computer and a very reputable breeder was selling a Lhasa named Teddy .. well I have Eddy and his sister Lucy they are the picture of health ..spoiled rotten ( they have their own room ) and you know what ? I would not have it any other way They saved MY life and I am giving them a wonderful one in return… Lucy is sooooo sweet but Eddy has lots of “LHASATUDE ” I do not know who would put up with his antics … But next to my family he is the love of my life

The local news just reported that the Tucson, AZ City Council is considering an ordinance that pet stores could only sell animals from “no-kill shelters”. The reporter stated that pet stores would no longer be allowed to sell animals from “puppy mills”. I guess you have to make the assumption that all breeders are lumped into the “puppy mills” category. Pretty sad.

Dave … I understand the premise behind the City Council’s decision. Without fail, pet stores are supplied by puppy mills and, in some instances, backyard breeders. An ethical, responsible breeder will not sell out of a store front. Adopting such an ordinance removes support of the puppy mills … something we can all get behind.

True, responsible breeders don’t sell to pet shops or brokers. No middleman at all. Why ? Because they want to meet and get to know the people who are looking at purchasing a puppy. They want to know that pup has a lifetime home , and they want to know the pup will be returned to them if anything should happen that the buyer can’t keep the pup. You can’t do that when you sell thru a middleman. But honestly, I don’t think rescues should be “selling” thru a pet shop or store front either. Whats to keep that “rescue” pup from being dumped at a shelter a year from now when it got too big, was too much work,etc etc ? Getting a pup should be a well thought out decision, not an impulse buy.

I can see a rescue doing a meet/greet at an event held at a pet shop or store front. However, the protocols in place to protect the animals should still be in place, i.e., application, application review, vet/personal reference checks and, finally, a home visit. And the animal has a microchip that is registered to the rescue first and the owner as a secondary contact. If it’s simply a walk in and buy situation, then most definitely “no.”